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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26479351">Apaixonar</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Duender/pseuds/Duender'>Duender</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Who needs magic when I have you? [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>And More Fluff, And coated it in milk chocolate, Fluff, Fluff and Humor, Gen, Getting Together, Harry Potter &amp; Tom Riddle Attend Hogwarts Together, Harry Potter &amp; Tom Riddle Grow Up Together, Hermione Granger is a Good Friend, I wove this story out of cotton candy, M/M, Romance, Ron Weasley is a Good Friend, Stargazing, Tooth-Rotting Fluff, cavity-inducing fluff</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-09-15</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-09-15</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 10:08:46</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>Teen And Up Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>No Archive Warnings Apply</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>1</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>4,419</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26479351</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Duender/pseuds/Duender</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Apaixonar<br/><b>verb. </b><br/>fall in love (with) to develop feelings of love and sexual attraction (for)</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Harry Potter/Tom Riddle</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series:</b></td><td>Who needs magic when I have you? [2]</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Series URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/series/1924972</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>22</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>309</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>Apaixonar</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><ul class="associations">
      <li>For <a href="https://archiveofourown.org/users/remaya/gifts">remaya</a>.</li>



    </ul></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span><br/>
<br/>
</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Harry, what did you get?” Hermione was extremely eager to know what Harry had purchased - he had split from her and Ron during their Hogsmeade visit earlier that day, claiming he had something personal he needed to get.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hermione, I told you it’s personal!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The bushy haired Gryffindor seemed to undergo an internal struggle - her inherent curiosity was dying to know what thing he’d found so personal he couldn’t tell them, and her more sensitive side wanted to let him keep his secrets.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Leave the bloke alone, ‘Mione,” Ron agreed from his spot on the floor. “He probably got something for Valentine’s Day.” The redhead wasn’t wrong, Valentine’s Day was just four days away.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hermione frowned. “But Harry doesn’t act like he’s sweet on anyone…” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Harry coughed, gaining their attention. “It doesn’t matter. Don’t we have an assignment to finish?” he gestured to the Potions essay his best friend had insisted on completing a week before it was due.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hermione narrowed her eyes at him, and mouthed, ‘This is not over, Harry Potter.’</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The green-eyed wizard directed his gaze towards his own parchment, hoping he would be able to escape this inquisition.</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>___________________________</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>As the skies outside grew darker, the Gryffindors in the common room began thinning out.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Can we go to sleep now, ‘Mione?” Ron asked with a yawn. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Hermione scribbled out another line in her tiny handwriting and then pulled out her wand to spell the ink dry, before rolling up the parchment. “Yes, I’m done.” She glanced at the green-eyed wizard next to them. “I assume you’re not going to bed yet?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Harry nodded. It was Saturday after all. After a quick glance around the empty common room, he slipped out his Invisibility Cloak before handing his school bag to Ron.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Thanks mate,” he muttered, before bidding them both goodnight.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Realization struck Hermione as she watched Harry slip out of the common room.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“He hasn’t fancied someone recently…”</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>___________________________</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Hogwarts was eerily quiet at midnight, save for Harry’s  quiet footsteps as he hurried down the moon-lit corridor. He easily slipped past the patrolling prefects and made his way up the Astronomy tower, face breaking into a wide smile when he noticed a tall figure seated at a window.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hello, Harry,” Tom Riddle’s face looked ethereal in the moonlight. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey,” he whispered back as he stuffed his cloak into his pocket and moved to join his best friend at the window, taking a seat right next to him and revelling in his warmth.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They sat in silence for several minutes, content to spend the still night in each other’s presence. Harry traced out constellations with his eyes; the very ones Tom had taught him all those years ago in the orphanage.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Crazy how time flies by, isn’t it?” he finally spoke up, voice hardly louder than a whisper. He saw Tom turn to face him from the corner of his eyes.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We were kids entering a world of magic…. Look at us now, about to step into the real world as fully grown wizards.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What’s gotten you so nostalgic?” Tom asked curiously, head tilting to one side and causing a curl of dark hair to fall over his eyes. Harry resisted the urge to brush it back.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Awareness that it’s our last moments at Hogwarts, I guess.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Is that also why you've been avoiding me? So you can spend time exploring the hallways you’ve walked through hundreds of times?” The voice wasn’t as icy as it would have been, had it been directed towards anyone else, but Harry still felt the cold words.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>How was he supposed to tell Tom that he had come to a realization that could destroy their friendship, despite the years of trust and love between them? He loved Tom. Tom loved him. It was a given, the two of them. Two little orphans who grew into their own, taking a world they barely knew by storm. It's always been Tom and Harry, Harry and Tom. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘Tom beat the OWL records!’ ‘Yeah, and Harry has the highest score in DADA!’</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘Tom was made Head Boy!’ ‘And Harry was made Quidditch Captain! Again!’ </span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘Tom said yes to Slughorn’s invitation.’ ‘Three guesses on who his partner will be, and the first two don’t count.’</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tom </span>
  <em>
    <span>loved </span>
  </em>
  <span>Harry. But Harry was </span>
  <em>
    <span>in love</span>
  </em>
  <span> with Tom.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He wasn’t sure when it had happened, really. Was it back when they were seven, and Billy had punched him? Tom had punched the bully right back, before healing Harry’s nose for him and promising to always be there to save him. Maybe it was during their long nighttime talks, a habit that stuck over the years.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Or perhaps during the nights they were busy stargazing from the roof of the orphanage. Tom’s larger hands enveloped one of his, helping him trace out his favourite constellation - the Leo, his star sign, before he insisted on knowing Tom’s too, and ended up learning every constellation of the zodiac.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Maybe it was during one of their afternoon walks in the Forbidden Forest? Harry was walking backwards so he could watch the usually expressionless face showcase a range of emotions beyond a smile and a smirk, and nearly tripped over the roots of a tree before Tom’s strong hands caught him, saving him from a nasty bump on the head.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Maybe it was much before that, when he had finally gotten an actual laugh out of the older boy and been completely blindsided by the radiant smile. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Or maybe it had been a much more recent development - when Tom came to the Gryffindor vs Slytherin match wearing a blaring red scarf; his housemates hadn’t done much more than discretely throw hate-filled glares at his show of support. After all, they knew that if it came between choosing Harry and anything else, the answer would always be Harry. Despite knowing this, Harry had smiled a big toothy grin and presented the snitch he had caught to the stoic snake.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But really, it could have been anywhere in the interval spanning more than a decade - between hundreds of late afternoon study sessions and mid-exam helping hands, between kitchen escapades and pranks that no one would suspect from the perfect Slytherin (it made him a great pranking partner). Somewhere between the thousands of shared secrets and millions of shared moments, between the secret smiles and quick hellos in the corridors, Harry Potter had fallen in love with his best friend.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>And it was a terrifying thought, truly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Everyone knew that Tom Riddle was not interested in </span>
  <em>
    <span>anyone </span>
  </em>
  <span>romantically. And even sexually - rumours of his asexuality had gone rampant after he turned down Fleur Delacour in fifth year, but they ceased after Abraxas Malfoy had opened his mouth and spewed poetry about their passionate night together.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>That had been ages ago, really, and then again; Harry hadn’t known he was</span>
  <em>
    <span> in love</span>
  </em>
  <span> with the bloke back then - he was happy Tom found pleasure, they had both dated and kissed other people. Of course, none of those relationships lasted long, and they always found their way back to each other, but the point was that they were not in a relationship </span>
  <em>
    <span>together. </span>
  </em>
  <span>And previously, Harry had been okay with it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But back then, the thought of someone else’s lips on Tom’s hadn’t hurt as much. It had just been a twinge in his heart that he put down as disappointment about having less time with his best friend. Back then, he had known Tom was one of the most handsome males in the castle, but he hadn’t had (many) thoughts about being one of his paramours and testing his skills in bed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But now-</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Harry!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Harry broke out of his thoughts and turned around to face Tom completely, eyes wide. “What?!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Bright blue eyes searched his own, concern evident. “I’ve called your name at least thrice, Harry. Are you alright?”</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>No.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes,” Harry forced a smile onto his lips, knowing that Tom would pick up on the fake tone immediately.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I thought we had promised to never lie to each other.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He looked away first, letting his gaze wander towards the Forbidden Forest.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ask me again next week?” he pleaded, not willing to look into Tom’s eyes yet.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“...Alright. But you will tell me if something’s wrong, won’t you?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I will. Let’s steal some hot chocolate from the elves, shall we?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>That was one train wreck delayed.</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>___________________________</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Tom opened his eyes on Valentine’s day and instantly knew it was going to be a disaster. He truly despised the ‘day of love’ - it resulted in nothing but frenzied teenagers believing they had found their soulmate, only to break up with them a week later when raging hormones had cooled down and love was no longer in the air. (Literally. Why did the professors insist on Cupids hanging around in the Great Hall for the </span>
  <em>
    <span>entire </span>
  </em>
  <span>week?!)</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Come on, Riddle, breakfast is in an hour,” Abraxas grumbled from outside his bed hangings. Merlin, was the blond still salty about his rejection? Tom didn’t </span>
  <em>
    <span>do </span>
  </em>
  <span>dating, everyone knew that. In his opinion, Malfoy needed to grow up.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Dragging himself through familiar motions, Tom got ready in record time - he needed the extra minutes to mentally prepare himself for the day. After centering himself and glaring at Nott for his sympathetic glances, Tom felt only about half-ready to face the rest of the school. It was one of those times when he despised being Head Boy; he couldn’t skive from breakfast like he knew Harry was going to. The imp would conveniently not appear for breakfast on Valentine’s day, thus evading his horde of admirers. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He should have called in a favour and asked Harry to polyjuice into him.</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>___________________________</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Harry nervously stole glances towards the doors of the Great Hall, ignoring the disbelieving looks he himself was getting. This was the first Valentine’s day after first year where he was actually present for breakfast after all. Hermione and Ron had been extremely skeptical themselves when he had said he wanted to join them for breakfast.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Though the glint in Hermione’s warm brown eyes somehow seemed downright evil and promised a thorough interrogation that would put the Spanish inquisition to shame.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Soon enough, another group of students walked in. Tom strode in with all the grace of a dancer (he would never say that to the Slytherin’s face, he didn’t want to end up with pink hair like last time). And then their eyes met. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Harry stuffed a piece of toast into his mouth to keep himself from laughing out loud as he saw the Head Boy nearly trip over himself when he realized that Harry was in the Great Hall. On Valentine’s Day.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Harry went back to his breakfast, nerves still tingling but more settled. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>It couldn’t be </span>
  <em>
    <span>that </span>
  </em>
  <span>bad.</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>___________________________</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>It </span>
  <em>
    <span>could </span>
  </em>
  <span>be that bad. Harry had never realized just how many admirers Tom had until he saw the huge pile of chocolates and gift wrapped presents being delivered to him. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Don’t worry, mate, Riddle throws away everything. Except the chocolates, I think he splits those amongst his dormmates? You should learn from him,” Ron said, giving Harry’s own growing pile of Valentines a significant look.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The green-eyed wizard didn’t hesitate in shoving everything towards the redhead. “Have at it. But watch out for love-potion spiked truffles, I heard Vane’s been practicing her potions skills.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>While Ron began to try convincing Hermione to check for bespelled items in the lot, Harry went back to watching Tom.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Tom stared at the pile of gift-wrapped items in front of him with growing horror. He dearly wished he could just banish them all and be done with it, but he was the darling of Hogwarts - he couldn’t risk his polite persona! Sighing, he began picking through the gifts, a dicta-quill ready to write thank you notes nearby. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>But first…</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ouch!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Serves you right, Rosier.” Tom scowled at the Rosier heir. “This is not a laughing matter.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Rosier simply grinned. “For you, maybe not. For me, however, this situation is extremely amusing.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tom opened his mouth for another retort - </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Better get to those gifts, Riddle, or you’ll never finish those thank you notes before next year’s Valentines start arriving.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tom sighed, but he couldn’t really argue with that.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Dear Cho, thank you for your thoughtful gift…”</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>___________________________</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Harry had begun biting his nails, Hermione observed with detached interest. She really didn’t understand why he was so nervous. Okay, so maybe he sent a valentine to his best friend. But it was </span>
  <em>
    <span>Tom Riddle. </span>
  </em>
  <span>The day Tom Riddle was mad at Harry Potter was the day of the apocalypse. Because if that happened, they could assume it was the end of the world anyways.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She idly wondered what Riddle was going to receive. Knowing Harry, it was going to be something extremely sentimental.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She glanced over her shoulder at her fellow Prefect.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>He better like it or I’ll show him just how many hexes I know.</span>
  </em>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>___________________________</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>The pile of gifts had finally dwindled to a number he could count on two hands. Or maybe two hands and a foot.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A rectangular package caught his eye, and he picked it up curiously, checking it all over. There was no name tag anywhere on it. The wrapping, unlike all others, was not an ostentatious sparkling green, pink or silver, but a matte, dull grey. Long fingers tore away the paper slowly, almost as if Tom didn’t know what to do with it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He opened the small black box, expecting a Slytherin pin or something similar - that was what he got, aside from books, chocolates and love letters. What he got was nothing like that, but it definitely took his breath away. It was an ornate silver dagger, lined with rubies and sapphires. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Rosier let out a whistle. “That’s certainly a male admirer,” he commented. “No female would send a dagger as a gift first - it would break courtship rules.” A quick glance towards Abraxas confirming it was not from the blond - he was paler than usual. “Is there a name?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tom checked the box again: a scrap of paper was tucked beneath the silk cushion of the dagger. He opened it, eyebrows rising as he saw the note. The handwriting was not familiar - why did he feel so disappointed about it?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>‘Expecto Patronum.’</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He didn’t stop Nott from glancing at the spell.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What’s that even supposed to mean?” he said with a snort. “You’re supposed to meet them in the Defence classroom?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>It did seem like the logical thing to do; they had been learning the patronus charm just last week. It was, however, not something he felt inclined to do.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tom didn’t bother replying to Rosier, but he did carefully place the dagger back into its box. Several gasps sounded in the Great Hall when he placed the box in his bag instead of back on the table for the elves to collect after breakfast.</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>___________________________</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Tom, immediately after double Potions, tugged Harry to a hidden alcove.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I was hungry!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What were you doing in the Great Hall today?” Tom watched in fond amusement as the shorter teen’s cheeks flushed a fetching shade of red.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I was, uh,” Harry wracked his brains, trying to think of an excuse. “Seventh year, last chance to make memories?” he tried.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Try again. What’s gotten into you? You’ve taken to lying to my face nowadays,” Tom sighed, amusement fading into the sort of tiredness that went bone-deep. He didn’t know what kept his mind so occupied - never mind, he did. He just wasn’t going to admit it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Harry sighed before slumping into Tom’s hold. “You’ll know soon enough.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“...What?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Doesn’t matter. What about you? You just accepted a Valentine’s Day gift. It’s a day for the history books!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tom raised an eyebrow. “Watching me, were you?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>This was familiar territory. Harry playfully shoved him backwards. “Kind of hard not to notice when it causes </span>
  <em>
    <span>Hogwarts </span>
  </em>
  <span>to fall silent.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tom groaned, and let his head fall backward onto the wall. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So why did you?” Harry asked curiously.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>I was hoping it was from you.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s a beautiful dagger, would have been a shame to not keep it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Harry nodded, trying not to look like his heart had just been stomped on.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tom sighed. “Want to get lunch from the kitchen? I’ve faced enough of the masses for today.”</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>___________________________</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Tom didn’t remember when he fell in love with Harry Potter. Maybe it was when he first walked into the orphanage, looking like a scared little kitten until Billy tried to bully him. Billy had ended up with a broken nose and Tom with a friend for life.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Or it could have been in any of the millions of moments they shared from that day onwards. When Harry shared his Christmas gifts, back in first year when he had been a Slytherin mudblood, or when he had learnt of his inheritance and insisted on gifting Harry with anything that caught his fancy.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But he distinctly remembered when he had </span>
  <em>
    <span>realized </span>
  </em>
  <span>he was in love with his best friend.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It was back in fifth year, during a cold winter night, when the Gryffindor had been trying to teach him the patronus. Looking back on it, the freezing Astronomy tower hadn’t been the most pleasant of places for said activity, but Tom kept cracking jokes, causing Harry to topple over in laughter. And staring into those warm green eyes, which overflowed with love and affection for him, he had realized - Harry loved him. But he was in love with Harry. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>His corporeal patronus shone with the power of a million suns, but it was still so much dimmer than the smile he received.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>He had seen Harry’s glances towards Cedric Diggory and Ginny Weasley, and so he had decided, for once in his life, to not be selfish. Because Tom was possessive and selfish to the point of cruelty, but there was one person he would jump in front of a killing curse for, and he was not going to obstruct his happiness.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But that didn’t stop him from </span>
  <em>
    <span>hoping. </span>
  </em>
  <span>He knew he was attractive, and he had no qualms about using his charm to see that tanned skin turn a lovely pink, to see lips pulled down in a frown but green eyes sparkling with amusement. He would take what he could get.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>It said a lot about the person who powered his patronus, to be able to tame the beast that was Tom’s possessiveness.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Tom paused on his way to Transfiguration. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Only two people had seen him cast the patronus, and he doubted Professor Lupin was going to send him a dagger on Valentine’s Day.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>But then again, a lot of people </span>
  <em>
    <span>knew </span>
  </em>
  <span>that he could cast a patronus. Maybe they just meant he made them happy enough to cast a patronus?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He wasn’t sure if a patronus could be powered by superficial happiness, but then again, weirder things happened in Hogwarts.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He was just overreacting, Tom said to himself. But maybe he could just go up to the tower, just in case -</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Who knew that all it would take was an anonymous gift for the Slytherin King to end up being late for class?</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>___________________________</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>It wasn’t as cold as it had been during Yule, but Harry still rubbed his hands together to secure some body heat as he sat on the window ledge he had practically claimed as his own over the years.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He didn’t have much hope, but he had to try. Sirius and Remus had both sent him plenty of letters cheering him on, before proceeding to threaten to tell Tom themselves if he didn’t man up. He was pretty sure the latter was from Sirius, who had probably rushed to owl it to him before Remus could catch him - the lack of signature and the messier than normal handwriting had still made him extremely nervous. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>He let a small smile grace his face as he thought back to his godfathers, who had taken him and Tom in the moment Sirius had gotten the Ministry off their back. It had been an extremely touching moment, where Sirius had lunged over Aurors to hug him and Tom; he bit back a grin as he remembered how shocked Tom had been to be greeted like family by someone who was not Harry. It had been a unconventional family, obviously, but the past two years had been the happiest he’d ever been.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Footsteps echoed through the tower. It was one of the reasons Harry and Tom had chosen it as their place - they knew when someone was approaching. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Harry drew in a breath. Time to face the music. He turned so he had his back to the stars and face to the door, just as it swung open.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tom stood there, a silent shadow in the doorway.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hello, Tom.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hello, Harry.”</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>___________________________</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>They spent the first few minutes in complete silence, though Tom did take a seat next to him, reminiscent of their position just the previous Saturday.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>That had only been four days ago.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“How did you know it was me?” Harry finally mustered up the courage to ask, though his eyes remained fixed on the skies above them. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tom’s lips twitched. Harry was ever the Gryffindor. He supposed he should borrow some of that bravery for once. “I didn’t.” He was sure Harry had just gotten a whiplash from how fast he turned to look at him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“How-”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I hoped it was, though.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Harry’s breath caught as he searched those ice blue eyes for any hint of deceit or pity - he found neither. Had they always looked at him so warmly?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You can’t mean that-”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Harry, Harry, Harry,” Tom leaned forward to capture one of Harry’s hands with his own. “It was always us against the world. Did you really think I would lower myself to something as plebeian as </span>
  <em>
    <span>love </span>
  </em>
  <span>for </span>
  <em>
    <span>anyone </span>
  </em>
  <span>else?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“...But I don’t understand.” Harry was hyperventilating. Out of extreme happiness, or sheer disbelief, he didn’t know. “You - Abraxas or Daphne or - I don’t know, you could have anyone you wanted.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tom leaned back with a frown. “You want me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“But you’re Tom Riddle!” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“...And?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re going to change the world! Don’t you - I don’t know, don’t you want someone who’s going to be worth as much as you -”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tom pressed a finger against his lips to stop him from talking. “But why would you send me a gift - practically a declaration of courting, really - if you didn’t expect me to reciprocate?” he asked. Oh, he was going to convince Harry even if it took him years, but first he needed answers.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I didn’t, that’s why I sent it anonymously, you git!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Except you are the one who taught me the spell.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I thought you would assume it was someone from your DADA class…” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>And he had. For a few foolish moments, Tom had thought of that.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He laughed, and Harry looked away, cheeks bright red.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh darling, you think my first thought would be a classroom when you are the one who powers my patronus?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Harry glanced back at him, eyes wide, before glancing down at their joined hands.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“...You love me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I fell in love the moment I met you, Harry Potter.” And he had been an utter fool, to have needed a decade to realize that.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Harry ducked his head to get away from Tom’s smouldering eyes, but he was helpless in fighting off the grin forming on his face.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I suppose I fell in love the moment you declared yourself to be mine, Tom Riddle.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tom drew back for a moment. “I never said that, I’m sure.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“But you thought it,” Harry shot back, and really, why had he thought a confession would change anything. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tom threw his back as his rich laughter echoed around them. “So I did. If I must belong somewhere, I suppose I’ll belong to you.”</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>Dumbledore found them the next morning, curled into each other. He only had to wonder for a brief moment how they hadn’t frozen in the chilly February night, before a flare of magic answered him, curling around the two young lovers in a laughing symphony. </span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>___________________________</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“They have a word for us,” Tom mentioned a few days later. Harry hummed in response as he turned a page of his book.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <span>Yuánfèn</span>
  <span>.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Harry glanced up at him. “Is that Chinese?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A minute of silence.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well? What does it mean?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Two people who are meant to be together.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I thought you didn’t believe in destiny.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Harry caught the playful smile Tom directed towards him and instantly knew he was going to regret his words.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, darling,” Harry instantly turned red at the term of endearment. Curse Tom and his charm! “I didn’t until </span>
  <em>
    <span>we </span>
  </em>
  <span>got together.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Merlin, you are so cringey,” Harry whined, trying to get away as Tom pulled him back by his waist and peppered kisses on his face.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What, you don’t like it?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Harry cursed his skin. He was tanned, he shouldn’t turn red so easily!</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I -”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ahem.” The two wizards whirled around to find Hermione standing nearby, an amused smile on her face.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“As adorable as you two are, Madam Pince is heading this way and I doubt your puppy eyes will work now. She probably developed an immunity towards them over the years,” she said with a grin, before turning to walk away. A thought struck her, and she faced Tom.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I know you love him and you’re his bestest friend -” (Hermione Granger used an incorrect word! Harry was going to faint) “- and his soulmate and all that, but I’m the brightest witch of Hogwarts too. You break his heart and I’ll break you, Riddle.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Tom watched as the Head Girl walked away, before turning to face Harry with a raised eyebrow. “How many more death threats should I expect?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“At least four more, </span>
  <em>
    <span>yuánfèn</span>
  </em>
  <em>
    <span>,”</span>
  </em>
  <span> Harry said with a cheeky grin and an accent that made Tom wince.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s not a term of endearment-”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Harry jumped to his feet and pressed a quick kiss to Tom’s lips before running towards the exit.</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>“No running in the library, Mr. Pott- Mr. Riddle! I expected much better from you!”</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p><p>
  <span>Tom didn’t have time to placate the librarian - he had a soulmate to chase.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>And when he heard Harry’s tinkling laughter float back to him as they ran down the hallway, he had a startling realization - he was willing to chase Harry everyday for the rest of his life.</span>
</p><p><br/>
<br/>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Send me questions on <a href="https://duender-writes.tumblr.com/">Tumblr!</a></p></blockquote></div></div>
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